umn πβφ teaches profs a few things

The University of Minnesota chapter of Pi Beta Phi thought they’d add some special guests to their semiannual dinner recognizing sisters who had achieved excellence in academic classes the preceding semester. And guess who’s coming to dinner? The professors who taught those classes. Although the dinner was of course primarily to honor the ourstanding sisters, the event also served to show the invited dons that greek life wasn’t all parties and Belushiesque shenanigans — an education that was appreciated. “‘I’m English,’ the graduate instructor in marketing said. ‘We don’t really have those sort of things there.’” In the Pi Betas’ case, skirts and flawless supper etiquette were in evidence. Faculty dinners are a common event at many houses, and though some faculty preconceptions may be well off base, getting a chance to teach professors a few things just shows turnabout is fair play.

social networking sites finally go greek

First there was Friendster. Then there was MySpace. And then there was Facebook. Now comes UGreekRow.com, the brainchild of three University of Arizona grads — definitely a campus well known for its boisterous greek scene. They saw a gaping opportunity for an integrated social networking platform for undergrads to manage often nettlesome duties like finances, dues collection, housing, and the like. But their more ambitious aims include helping graduates (like themselves) get jobs through greek alumni connections. One founder was inspired when he “wasn’t able to leverage the fact that I’m in a fraternity to help find [himself] a job.” Though their site isn’t due to launch until 2009 Fall 2008, they’re optimistic: hooking up talented undergrads with chapter alums eligible for headhunting bonuses just seems like a good idea.

arkansas high school’s mock trial depicts greek crime

In celebration of Law Day, a holiday few have probably heard of, a Fayettville, AK high school stages a mock trial to demonstrate to students in its law class how prosecution of a serious felony might proceed. The crime depicted: a co-ed fraternity president’s allegedly pushing a female pledge to her death from a clock tower for “disloyalty to the fraternity and for refusing to have sex with one of his friends,” after forcing her to take tequila shots earlier in the night. Aside from intimations of Hemingway and Hitchcock, the scenario could only play into stereotypes about fraternities. To the school’s credit, the facts were not too lurid and the exercise reportedly focused on the law— and a mock trial has to concoct some crime. Probably shouldn’t read too much into it. Then again, the accused was convicted of hazing and manslaughter. Not that fictional chapter’s finest moment.

u missouri greeks take a solo safety stroll

Many college greeks seem to be mostly on the receiving (and often critical) end of inspections by university authorities. It might then seem strange that when the folks at Minnesota University at Columbia invited representatives from campus housing and police to join them on a “safety walkthrough,” they were roundly spurned. All the odder because student safety is generally near and dear to the hearts of administrators across academia fearful of parental lawsuits. The aptly named Greektown and Frat Row neighborhoods in question are off-campus. Apparently “out of sight; out of mind” is the reigning policy at MU; and the local municipality thinks upkeep should be handled by the university if its students are the main tenants. So if the greeks there need safety repairs to be made to streets and plant? “They would have to hire MU Campus Facilities,” said its associate director.

calisthenics and cayenne at nwu λφε

In an unusually searching take on ostensible hazing in fraternity initiations, Peter Jackson of the Northwestern University daily records the experiences of a class of Lambda Phi Alpha pledges who opted to drop en masse. The decision was reportedly a communal one among the seven (remaining) pledges, with some quitting in solidarity with their fellows against their own wishes— an interesting testament to the Lambda‘s pledge process’s stated goal of fostering pledge class unity above all else. The travails visited on them range from the muscle-building (extended exercises) and purportedly character-building (pledge piggyback rides) to the stomach-turning (drinking a brew of hot sauce). Still, to all reports the ex-pledges bear no ill will to the Lambdas: “the pledges stressed that they didn't leave because of the hazing, but because they were more interested in the partying.” Not strictly kosher, but hardly the “hazing: a greek tragedy” that the article’s title claims.

ucsc λφε highlights donor shortage

In keeping with a philosophy that sees it fielding teams named (no joke) the Banana Slugs, the University of California at Santa Cruz publishes a newsmagazine (“City on a Hill Press”) in lieu of a student paper. It provides this enlightening article on national Asian fraternity Lambda Phi Epsilon’s latest event to promote bone marrow donorship. While there are never enough organ donations for all, there’s evidently a critical shortage of the Asian-ancestry donors necessary for successful transplants in Asian recipients. This was abjectly illustrated to the UCSC Phi Lams when one of their brothers died while waiting for a match. Since then — nearly a decade ago — the cause has been their crusade, and this is only the latest in a long series of events.

annapolis αφα reaches out to area high-schoolers

Seizing a nascent but growing trend, the men of the Alpha Phi Alpha’s Eta Eta chapter at Annapolis are moving to reach out to potential brothers even earlier than the first days at college. May 17 will mark the fruition of this effort, the inaugural African-American Young Men Conference, designed to bring in high-schoolers from the entire area for a day-long program on navigating the increasingly heavy burden thrust on ever younger teenagers, from STDs to college admissions. Wisely not overestimating the attention span of their audience, “all the presentations are intended to be brief so the boys won't lose interest.”

ut σαε brothers face the (muted) music

Following up on a previously blogged story, the four University of Texas Sigma Alpha Epsilon brothers indicted in connection with the 2006 death of pledge Tyler Cross have pled guilty to charges including hazing and provision of alcohol to a minor. No charges held any directly reponsible for the death, which was ruled an accident. But even so the consequences seem disquietingly minimal. Two of those indicted were sentenced to community service; while the two brothers who were serving as pledgemasters while cattle prods and brands were wielded received a four day jail sentence. “We’ve obtained jail time for the most severe offenders,” announced the Texas DA, seemingly satisfied. To be fair, four days in jail is hardly a picnic for a college kid. Meanwhile, Sigma Alpha Epsilon marches on under an “agreement from the University of Texas to reduce hazing at that fraternity.” Reduce rather eliminate. Consequences for those involved seem lacking all around.

kansas state φβσ reclaims ancestral home

Its more common these days to hear about chapters losing their houses whether though financial or punitive misfortune, so it’s a nice ray of sunlight to read about a fraternity reclaiming a piece of their heritage. Phi Beta Sigma at Kansas State has completed a long-dreamed-of project of reacquiring and renovating the house erected by their Delta chapter back in 1917 as their first installation west of the Mississippi. Like so many other greeks, they lost the property during the riven years of the Great Depression and World War II, and it took considerable archival work to track it down. Now two brothers have already moved in, and they’re thinking about inviting in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to further realize their vision. That’s historical preservation in the twenty-first century.